"We should, during our work and other actions, even during our reading, even spiritual reading, during outward devotions and vocal prayers, stop for an instant as often as we can, to adore God in the depths of our hearts, savor him rapidly and as it were by stealth, praise him, ask him for help, offer him our hearts and thank him. What could be more pleasing to God than for us to leave aside created things a thousand times a day, to recollect ourselves and adore him interiorly?
For being with God, it is not necessary to be always at church. We may make an oratory of our heart, wherein to retire from time to time, to converse with him. Everyone is capable of such familiar conversation with God."
-Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection (17th century Carmelite friar), as quoted by Jacques Phillippe on page 99-100, "section 1. Outside the time of prayer", and Part IV "Practical Advice for Personal Prayer" of his book Thirsting for Prayer
Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary TimeSee Readings on USCCB Reading 1 1 Kgs 10:1-10 The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon’s fame, came to test him with subtle questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous retinue, and with camels bearing spices, a large amount of gold, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject in which she was interested. King Solomon explained everything she asked about, and there remained nothing hidden from him that he could not explain to her. When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom, the palace he had built, the food at his table, the seating of his ministers, the attendance and garb of his waiters, his banquet service, and the burnt offerings he offered in the temple of the LORD, she was breathless. “The report I heard in my country about your deeds and your wisdom is true,” she told the king. “Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes, I have discovered that they were not telling me the half. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard. Blessed are your men, blessed these …
“I sit sipping coffee on the couch of a friend. We get caught up on each other’s kids, our husbands’ jobs, and what new shows we’ve been watching. There’s a story I want to tell about a mutual acquaintance, but I’ve made up my mind not to tell it. There are plenty of other things to talk about without resorting to gossip.
After a while the conversation lags, I listen to the clock ticking on the wall, and drain the last of the coffee from my mug. Well, maybe there’s a way to tell the story without saying anything mean. After all, what’s the harm in sharing an amusing anecdote?
I start to speak, choosing my words carefully at first. But Pandora’s Box has been opened. What starts as humor turns into harshness, and before I know it, I’ve committed the sin I just promised myself I wouldn’t.
The enemy looks for easy entry points into our lives. Most of the time it’s not the “big” sins that tempt us, it’s the “little” ones. A quick temper toward my children, a curt response to my husband, or a white lie to a friend may seem like not that big of a deal. But all of these little things we do and say actually matter a lot. Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “The things that come out from within are what defile” (Mark 7:15).
So what exactly is coming out of me? Kind words or cruel gossip? Acts of self-giving or selfishness? Peace or anger? A quick recap of the last 24 hours convicts me that I am in need of repentance, and makes me extra grateful for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The things that we do and say matter. Our words and actions, even the small ones, can lead us to either holiness or to sin. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to give us the grace and courage to choose holiness today and every day.
Acts of love, pious affections for the Blessed Virgin, imitation of her virtues, especially her profound humility, her lively faith, her blind obedience, her continual mental prayer, her mortification in all things, her surpassing purity, her ardent charity, her heroic patience, her angelic sweetness, and her divine wisdom: 'these being,' as St. Louis de Montfort says, 'the ten principle virtues of the Blessed Virgin.'
St. Louis Marie de Montfort in the Preface of Part III: Theme: Knowledge of Mary for the Total Consecration according to St. Louis de Montfort
“Offer your temptations for the conversion of sinners. When the devil sees you doing this, he is beside himself with rage and makes off, because then the temptation is turned against himself.”
The eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is sound your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is not sound, your wold body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Matthew 6:22-23 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)
